Clegg was at top of his class at University of Minnesota, professor says

Nick Clegg, the surprising rising star of British politics, laid some of the groundwork for his career in the year he spent at the University of Minnesota two decades ago.

"He was very personable, smart and articulate," said Kathryn Sikkink, a political science professor who taught Clegg in a graduate seminar. "I'm not surprised he's done well, but this was not a guy you thought was going to someday be the prime minister of Great Britain."

After attending Cambridge University as an undergraduate, Clegg spent the 1989-90 academic year at the University of Minnesota, studying politics and international relations, Sikkink's specialty....